BOOSTING MORALE OF FARMERS (DEC 17, 2009)

THE release of bonuses to cocoa farmers by the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) just on the heels of the Yuletide is yet another indication of the country’s desire to support the farmers.
The DAILY GRAPHIC, however, cautions against the repetition of the delay in the payment of bonuses to cocoa farmers in August this year.
At that time, COCOBOD issued an ultimatum to all the licensed buying companies (LBCs) to effect the payment of the bonuses without delay or it would withdraw the licences of the affected LBCs.
That resulted in some disagreement with the LBCs, to the detriment of our cocoa farmers who were at the receiving end of the frosty relationship between the two institutions.
It is in the light of this that the DAILY GRAPHIC wishes to call on all actors to be up and doing and use the lessons learnt during the impasse in August as a guide to ensure that cocoa farmers receive their due without any hassle.
Time and again, we have had to restate the importance of the cocoa sector to the national economy.
This year, one of the major contributory factors to the stabilisation of the economy is the near record price of cocoa on the international market, which currently is trading at more than $3,000 per tonne.
The DAILY GRAPHIC is convinced that the bonus of GH¢25.3 million released to the farmers will further boost their morale to produce more as the country tries to reach the one million metric tonnes target next season.
But that can only be realised when people tasked to do their work play by the rules and avoid any shortcuts that will aggravate our national problems.
Beyond the payment of bonuses to the farmers, the DAILY GRAPHIC acknowledges the government’s policy on agriculture and the youth-in-agriculture policy to attract more young people into the agricultural sector.
We believe that the projected increases in cocoa tonnage to about one million in the next season can be realised when there are government interventions to clear the obstacles in the path towards the attainment of that goal.
The cocoa sector can serve as a vital driver of the youth and employment policies of the government because of the long-term benefits to the farmer, including the guaranteed price for the produce.
The expansion in the mass cocoa spraying programme can be one such critical intervention that can help push the sector to meet its target.
The DAILY GRAPHIC believes that the cocoa sector holds the key to our development, especially the rural economy and the potential linkages to other value chain industries in the country.
We commend the government for sustaining this incentive to our cocoa farmers.
The DAILY GRAPHIC can only hope that the farmers will be spurred on by the incentive to produce more to meet the country’s needs.